Market Reforms of Marine Fisheries During COVID-19 in Kerala: Implications for Sustainable Management
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Market Reforms of Marine Fisheries During COVID-19 and Sustainable Fisheries
Authors
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A. Suresh
ICAR-Central Institute of Fishery Technology, Kochi-682029
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Sajesh V. K.
ICAR-Central Institute of Fishery Technology, Kochi-682029
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Mohanty A. K.
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Ravishankar C. N.
ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education
Keywords:
Sustainable fisheries, COVID-19, Fish marketing, livelihood security, maximum sustainable yieldAbstract
Marine capture fishery in India is facing issues of unsustainability in terms of declining catch per unit effort and over-capitalization. Attempts to address the issue largely hovered around technology solutions and regulations on fishing activities. The role of stakeholder participation and market forces most prominently reflected by the income of the stakeholders are conspicuous by its absence. In this background, the study inquired the hypothesis that reforms in fish marketing regulations can serve a useful role in ensuring sustainable fishing. The hypothesis is tested by using field-level data on market intervention in marine fisheries by the Government of Kerala, India during the COVID-19, and the response of fishers towards it. The study points towards favourable attitude of fishers, particularly the traditional fishers, towards the new system. The results highlight that simultaneous reforms in fishing regulations and markets have generated income stream with less variability while reducing fishing pressure.
